Meeting an Old Acquaintance Again, Three Matters!
The situation at Qinbei Pass is gradually stabilizing, which has relieved many forces in the Da Zhou. If Northern Province were to fall, it would truly be adding insult to injury for them...
at the moment--
With the Northern Province entering a period of stability, all forces in the Da Zhou can then focus on dealing with the Sea Race!
In the past few months, the Sea Race ' offensive has been thwarted, and several Third-Tier sea monsters have been tricked and killed by various factions of the Da Zhou...
Even a Fourth-Tier whale Demon King was severely injured by the Da Zhou Ancestor and had to retreat back to the Eastern Sea.
The other whale-beast Demon King, seeing its companion retreat, naturally dared not linger any longer and immediately led its Sea Race south...
They actually joined forces with other Sea Race Demon King to invade the Canglan State!
Under such circumstances--
In an instant, more than half of the Canglan State had fallen. Its patriarch had fought alone against three Demon King and was nearly killed earlier...
Seeing that the Canglan State was in danger, the Da Zhou had no choice but to send reinforcements.
If the Canglan State is destroyed, and the remaining sea monsters move north again, coupled with the ever-present threat of the Frost Spirit Demon Race in the north...
I fear that the Da Zhou will also be in danger!
Helping the Canglan State is tantamount to helping themselves. If they were truly surrounded and overrun by the Demon Race, then the Da Zhou would likely be on the verge of destruction...
Later--
The Da Zhou, along with the royal family and several other forces, marched south to fight the demons, taking away nearly a third of the Da Zhou's national strength...
As for Northern Qin, all the various forces in the Da Zhou have come to agree with this to some extent!
After all, the Northern Frontier alone withstood the threat from the Frost Demons, allowing them to focus on fighting the enemy...
Even if they didn't achieve great things, they certainly put in a lot of hard work!
Of course, at a deeper level, it reflects an acknowledgment of the Qin Clan's strength. Admiring the strong is human nature, and a powerful force...
Naturally, some people will be willing to join forces or establish connections!
The Qin Clan and its affiliated clans alone have four Dao Foundation, among whom Qin Lu has even reached the Dao Foundation Fifth Layer, and he is only about a hundred years old...
This is considered quite young among Dao Foundation cultivator!
Many even believe that Qin Lu will surely cultivate to the Dao Foundation Perfection in the future, becoming a pillar of the Da Zhou...
This shows that his talent and aptitude are by no means as bad as rumored...
Many people had coveted the Qin Clan before, but every time they were about to make a move, the Qin Clan would always bare their fangs, deterring anyone from acting rashly!
It's as if they've always been hiding something.
No one could accurately assess the Qin Clan, which naturally dispelled many people's hopes...
And now--
The Qin Clan has already established itself as a dominant force in the region, reaching a position worthy of being seated at the table. If, in the future, the Qin Clan can subdue the Xie and Wu clans...
By then, in the entire Da Zhou, perhaps only four families could rival the Qin Clan: Xiashang Dao Academy, Medicine King Valley, Great Heavenly Mountain, and Demon Sha Cave...
As for encircling and blocking Northern Qin.
This matter has been suggested before, that the Qin Clan should not be allowed to continue to expand, and that efforts should be made to support the Xie and Wu clans to hinder the Qin Clan's southward expansion...
However, the situation has suddenly changed, and encircling the Qin Clan would only exacerbate the conflict.
Furthermore, given the significant contribution from Northern Qin this time, naturally no one mentioned it anymore. It's likely that within a few years, the Xie and Wu clans...
It will then be incorporated into the Northern Province, which has become the future trend.
Not long after--
The eunuch then flew to the Northern Province on a cloud, but unfortunately he did not meet Qin Lu. Instead, he met the current Qin Wang: Qin Xiao!
Muxuan Mountain -- Qin Palace.
When Qin Xiao saw the person who had arrived, he couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised...
Although he only caught a glimpse of that face back then, Qin Xiao still remembers it vividly to this day!
"Bai Zhilang, fellow Daoist Bai!"
It seems like almost seventy years have passed since we parted ways years ago...
"I never expected that the one receiving this guidance would be you, fellow Daoist!"
Upon hearing this—
Bai Zhilang, whose hair was now completely white but whose appearance remained unchanged, respectfully bowed and responded with a sigh:
"Yes."
"Seventy years have passed since we parted ways. Now, my fellow Daoist has become the Qin Wang, Beichuan Qin Family has finally become a great clan at the Dao Foundation..."
He became a powerful ruler who dominated the region!
"As for this mediocre scholar, seventy years have passed, and he's still stuck at the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer. I'm not afraid the Qin Wang will laugh at me. This mediocre scholar has come here today..."
There are three things in total.
"Firstly, there are matters of public concern; secondly, there are matters concerning my funeral; and thirdly, there are miscellaneous private matters. I hope Your Qin Wang will be lenient with these people who speak so freely..."
That concludes our casual conversation.
Bai Zhilang took out the imperial edict and read it aloud:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Zhou Emperor decrees: The Qin Clan has rendered meritorious service in defending the land. Considering that the clan has been established for less than a hundred years, he hereby bestows upon them one of the Four Great Immortal Arts of the Third-Tier Rank..."
"You may choose any of the four arts!"
"Bestowed with Third-Tier Spirit Plant: a Illusory Spirit Treasure Tree; a Third-Tier great demon skeleton; 30,000 Spirit Stone; and various spiritual materials..."
"..."
"At last..."
"Honoring Qin Lu as our ancestor, he is titled: Duke of the North! He ranks among the Da Zhou, and the title of King Who Guards the North will be passed down through generations, continuing unbroken..."
"Furthermore, the Northern Frontier will be granted to the Qin Clan. If anyone is dissatisfied or refuses to acknowledge the rule of Northern Qin, they may use this edict as proof!"
So be it!
Having said that--
Qin Xiao rose to receive the imperial edict, his mind replaying its contents. It seemed lengthy, but in reality, it boiled down to two points...
Firstly, it is to praise the Qin Clan's achievements, which is perfectly reasonable!
Secondly, it carries a sense of domestication, an intention to firmly trap the Qin Clan on the war chariot of the Da Zhou, forcing them to guard this Northern Frontier for generations...
Whether it was granting them land or honoring them as the Five Dukes.
This was all part of Emperor Zhou's scheme; he intended to elevate the Qin Clan to a high position and then gradually tame and incorporate them during their development...
Let's start with a sweet treat to whet our appetites, and wait until things are stable in the north of the mainland...
It seems like it's time for the big stick to come!
Hehe~
Qin Xiao chuckled twice, carefully put away the imperial edict, and then looked at Bai Zhilang, saying:
"Fellow Daoist Bai, this is a matter of public concern."
"For the sake of our past relationship, please tell me about the remaining two things..."
Upon hearing this—
Bai Zhilang took out a Qiankun Pouch and handed it to Qin Xiao, saying:
"As the Qin Wang surely knows, I was born into the Yan Miao Bai Clan, and this second matter concerning my passing is entrusted to me by my Lineage..."
"Then..."
"Because of the Flower Willow Courtyard incident, Yan Miao Bai Clan had a falling out with the nobles. Although it didn't cause any major consequences, it did damage their relationships..."
"The Bai Clan has come here today hoping to reconcile with the nobility!"
"It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy. Although the Bai Clan is financially secure, over the years..."
"Yet it never grew strong, and now, with the arrival of chaotic times..."
"The Bai Clan may not be able to remain unscathed, therefore they wish to befriend the Qin Clan, turn hostility into friendship, and form a defensive alliance!"
"I've long heard that the Qin Clan is desperately searching for a spatial treasure, and this Qiankun Pouch contains..."
"There was a celestial star that our clan obtained by chance four hundred years ago, and it contained a trace of the Spatial Dao Law!"
"Although extremely weak, it is still a top-tier Third-Tier secret treasure..."
"The Bai Clan wishes to use this item as proof to restore the friendship between the Qin and Bai clans, and hopes that the Qin Wang will lend a helping hand if necessary!"